Ten Year Plan
by thenostalgicdreamer
Summary: Once upon a dark, Sunday night, Frank says goodbye to his ten year plan.


Frank Hardy stared at the ceiling of his dorm room with a sigh. It was 2:00 am, and sleep was still eluding. The weekend had been a busy one with a case that had wrapped just hours ago, but he was used to juggling school and work. He was so accustomed to the adrenaline rush of detective work that he usually didn't have any trouble putting it all behind and settling down and getting to sleep. Tonight, though, he was finding that impossible. Every time he started to drift off, he saw her face again and woke up with a jolt.

The weekend's case had not been atypical one. He had spent Saturday searching for clues to the identities of some smugglers. By Sunday afternoon, he had finally been at the point where he was able to go to the marina in search of condemning evidence on his top suspects. Before he had set out, he had made his "safety net" call to Nancy since Joe was out of town on another case. It was well he had since he was jumped by the suspects the minute he entered the first boat. Awaking a few hours later, Frank had found himself tied to a sinking boat. His attempts at escape had proved futile. As the water rose, he began to wonder if perhaps he would never make it home. Just when he thought that all hope was gone, he heard Nancy's voice in the distance. She had never seemed more angelic than she had as she untied his ropes and lead him to safety. Since then, he had been unable to stop thinking about her. He didn't mind dwelling on the titan haired beauty except for the fact that she didn't have a place in his ten year plan.

Frank had always known that he would be investigator when he grew up. From an early age, his father's work had impressed him. Nothing had excited him like the stories of evil schemes, heroic rescues, and daring escapes. He was amazed at his father's part in the adventures and thought that he must be the bravest man in the world. Frank had wanted nothing more than to be like him someday. To be honest, he had never really considered doing anything else.

As he grew older, he came to realize that detective work was about more than just crimes, guns, and rescues. It was his father's way of making a difference in the world. By bringing evil people to justice, he could protect the innocent and help preserve order. It wasn't easy—Frank knew that like no one else. Some families didn't have to worry about their dad not making it home from a business trip, and not everyone had secrets to keep and people who wanted them dead. At the same time, Frank could see like no one else the sense of purpose the work gave his father.

When Frank was twelve, he approached his father and told him that he was serious about detective work. From that day forward, he had begun preparing himself for a life of investigation first by shadowing his father and then taking on cases of his own. He began dreaming of starting his own firm with Joe, who had also set his mind on the same work. As he pursued his future course, life took on whole new meaning. Everything became about getting to where he wanted to go. He greatly looked forward to the day that he would graduate college and start the life of his dreams.

The Hardys' unique situation had always set them apart from the rest of their friends, but Frank hadn't really felt different until middle school. In elementary school, he had happily played with his little friends with little mention of the differences of his life. Once Frank had chosen his life course, his peers with the exception of a few like Biff and Chet had been unable to relate to his off-beat lifestyle. They saw him as a different sort of person all together. Some idolized him as some sort of a hero while others criticized him for being too serious. He should be out having fun and enjoying being young, they said. Girls as well as boys had treated him like an outsider. Even the few who were brave enough to approach him didn't understand his choices.

High school, however, had proved differently. The first day, he had met Callie, and she had been so unlike the middle girls. She had actually treated him like a normal guy. Initially, he had tried to hide his work from her, but he hadn't had to for long. She had been supportive and actually been interested to know more about his interest in detective work. As time passed, he had been amazed to discover that like him had been raised by parents with passion for helping others. Her plans to follow in the footsteps of her doctors without borders mother and start her own inner city clinic someday had excited him like nothing else.

She had captivated him from the start and had proved to be a very supportive girlfriend. Instead of nagging him to quit being so serious, she supported and encouraged him even in the most challenging times. In those moments, he saw a happy future for them. She would be the supportive little wife holding down the fort at home brightening his days with stories from her clinic. And together they would raise children of their own—children with courage and big dreams. Best of all, his life would be full of both purpose and simple pleasures.

So far his plan was going well. Business was booming with the Hardy Brothers Investigators firm, and he had almost finished a double major in business and criminal justice. Soon, he would finally be able to leave school behind to pursue investigation full-time. He could propose to Callie, and they could finally get married and start the life that he had been waiting for.

It was all perfect except for the fact that he couldn't seem to get Nancy Drew out his head. In an odd twist of fate, they had both ended up at Carlton University after high school. Despite their close proximity, their professional and personal lives were so busy that they didn't see each other that often. However, every time they met was something that Frank wouldn't forget. He felt embarrassed about that he was so stuck on her when he was dating someone else, but there wasn't much he could do. Frank just couldn't her forget no matter what he did. There was something special about Nancy—that was all he could say.

As young as they had been, Frank had known that the day that they first met in Riverhights. It had been an ordinary business meeting for their dads that had turned into a play date for him, Joe, and Nancy. Frank wasn't sure that it would be fun to hangout with a girl, but he and Joe had a blast helping Nancy crack the case of the missing tea cookies. In her love of investigation, he found a kindred spirit. At the same time, he was completely blown away by her drive and passion. She believed strongly in making a difference, and nothing was going to stop her from doing everything in her power to help others. She didn't care about conventionality or what girls or people in general were supposed to do. This passion flew in the face of Frank's cautious reserve and made him question his own perspective. Somehow—Frank hadn't known why until later—they had just clicked.

Up until now, though, Frank had just ignored the whole situation. Nancy didn't fit into his plan—case closed. Unfortunately, it was becoming impossible to just look away. She was constantly in his thoughts jostling his sense of purpose and making him extremely uneasy. Guilt crept him at the thought that he was thinking of Nancy when he was dating Callie. He couldn't just pretend everything was okay. At the same time, he wasn't sure he really wanted to throw away six happy years with Callie aside just for some feelings that he would probably soon have under control.

Frank sighed at the impossibility of his dilemma. Why couldn't everything be easy and just go according to his plan? Why did feelings have to come in and make everything difficult? Long ago, he had considered everything and chosen Callie. She would give him a happy, comfortable life, and he liked her—end of story except that it wasn't. His gut was telling him to chose Nancy, but that was ridiculous. He was happy with Callie (or at least he had been), and Nancy was happy with Ned. Who was he to throw away all caution for the chance at an impossible dream he wasn't even sure he wanted?

As much as he liked Nancy, she made him uncomfortable at the same time. She had this big presence—this way of filling a room and unintentionally overwhelming everyone despite her reserved persona. He had often heard it attributed to the fact that she was extremely accomplished, but as one of her best friends, he knew it lay deeper than that. She had excelled because she had this overwhelming drive to do everything with excellence. When it came to investigating, her passion was deep, and her devotion knew no bounds. He couldn't tell you how many times on cases he had wanted to call it a night and she had insisted they try just one more thing or she had gone to bed only to wake him up with some new idea.

In their admiration for his hard work, many people probably thought that he had the same level and passion and drive as Nancy. He, however, knew differently. As much as he loved investigating, it wasn't this all consuming-passion for him like it was Nancy and even his father. He very much wanted a comfortable life, and investigating was all he had ever known. He had merely floated along into it seeing no other future for himself. His passion was for his ten year plan and making his future like he had been dreaming it would. His imagined future, he now could see, was merely a carbon copy of what he had grown up—a world full of detective work but devoid of the burden of personal responsibility and devotion.

For so long his plan had been enough. He had contented himself with the fact that once he had everything he would be happy. Yet, he was closer to achieving his dreams now than ever before and if anything he was more dissatisfied than ever before. He was living halfway—a life devoid of both calmness and passion. Worst of all, he had been telling himself that it was okay. Suddenly, he could see why he couldn't forget about Nancy. She was a reminder of everything that he was missing in his life.

Despite her similar upbringing, her life and course were her own. She wasn't riding on the coattails of her father or trying to find her past. No, she was blazing her own trail believing that she could make a difference in her own right. That, Frank realized was what he needed to do. No longer could he merely coast along content to follow the dictates of some stupid plan. He needed to look inside, find what mattered to him, and build a life around it.

That would take some time to figure out. Frank knew he couldn't solve all his problems in one night. But he did know what he needed to do—say goodbye to Callie and the mediocre life he had settled for. He didn't know what future held especially when it came to Nancy, but he knew that in finding a passion like her own he would find what his life had been missing.

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 **Author's Note: Hello, clue crew. This is my first time writing for the fandom. I hope Frank isn't horrifically out of character here. I rewrote this so many times, and I'm still not sure it's right. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think.**


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